“Fifty Shades of Grey”-inspired sex festival takes place in Dublin

Organizers say Ireland ready to “move on from guilt over sex”

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A “Fifty Shades of Grey” inspired sex festival is being held in Dublin this weekend with hundreds expected to attend.

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A “Fifty Shades of Grey” inspired sex festival is being held in Dublin this weekend with hundreds expected to attend.

The organizers of the festival entitled “Fifty Shades of Bliss” stated that they “believe Ireland is ready” to “move from a guilt and shame filled perspective on sex and sexuality, to one that allows sex to be a path to enlightenment as well as personal and collective freedom and empowerment.”

The festival will feature talks and workshops around the themes of the book. Among the featured events will be “Smut Writing” and “Ecstatic BDSM (Bondage Sado Masochism).”

The organizers promise “A voyage designed to take you on a journey through all your senses that will engage & tantalise your mind, body & spirit. “

Organizers say that the success of the book, which has been a runaway best-seller in Ireland, has opened up the debate on a more healthy attitude towards sex.

The festival promises “workshops from internationally respected & experienced facilitators, from 3 continents, in the fields of sexual pleasure, freedom & health, Tantric, Thelema, Wiccan & more spiritual perspectives on sexuality.”

The Fifty Shades of Bliss Weekender takes place in Dublin’s Morrison Hotel today and tomorrow.

The sales of "50 Shades of Grey," the so-called “mommy porn” trilogy, are selling at rates not yet seen in Ireland since the ‘Harry Potter’ series hit the shelves. The "Twilight"-inspired fan-fiction has sold around 80,000 copies since going on sale at the end of April in Ireland.

TheJournal.ie reports on the fascinating boom in sales the trilogy is experiencing. The figure of 60,000 copies sold is probably an underestimate as figures for sales of an e-book version haven’t been accounted for.

One prime example of just how quickly the book is selling was showcased at Eason’s on O’Connell Street in Dublin recently. The national bookseller had stocked the shop with 400 copies of the book - all of which were sold by lunchtime.

“Bar Harry Potter, we’ve never experienced anything like it,” says Maria Dickenson of Eason.

"50 Shades of Grey" has already officially become the fastest-selling paperback since records began in the UK, dethroning other literary juggernaut "Harry Potter." Similarly, Booktrade, which tracks book sales, says it is also the fastest selling-paperback in Ireland as well.

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